First losses in the Central African Republic: what is Russia looking for in Africa?

The attention of the Russian public to the internal affairs of the Central African Republic was attracted after three Russian journalists were killed there on the night of July 31. The circumstances of the death look strange: they did not check in at the embassy, ​​did not hire guards, despite the fact that there was an armed conflict in the country for many years, contrary to the warnings of the soldiers, they decided to travel independently at night to face their death. Dzhemal, Rastorguev and Radchenko arrived to make a documentary about the activities of the so-called PMC Wagner in the Central African Republic. What does the private Russian military company that gained fame for participating in the hostilities in the Donbass and in Syria do?


During the Soviet era, our country actively supported African regimes, seeing in them political allies. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the ideological component in Moscow's foreign policy disappeared, and with it the interest in affairs on the "black continent". Russia left Africa for a long time, focusing on building a vertical of power and commodity export economics. However, after joining the Syrian campaign on the side of Damascus, the course towards the return of the Russian presence in African countries was clearly outlined. Russian instructors are already present in Sudan, teaching locals how to handle “flounders”, as well as in the Central African Republic. But the interest of the oligarchic regime this time is extremely practical. The "Black Continent" is very rich in natural resources, which are of interest not only to domestic billionaires, but also to Western countries and China.



The CAR is a typical former French colony that gained independence in 1960. Despite possessing rich natural resources - oil, gold, uranium and diamonds - its population is one of the poorest on the planet. There is a long-standing armed conflict in the country, in which one and a half dozen armed groups participate. Official authorities control no more than a fifth of the country's territory. In 2016, Paris withdrew the remnants of its troops from the Republic, leaving a symbolic contingent of several hundred people, which led to increased hostilities. Last year, the government turned to Moscow for help, and the UN gave permission for the supply of light weapons to the Central African Republic from Russia. Then, apparently, it was decided to represent the interests of Moscow in the Republic at the level of the unofficial PMC Wagner. Local authorities view the Russians as a reliable support against the opposition’s coup attempt. However, they hinder the Kremlin’s attempts to start negotiations with the militants, since a significant part of the natural resources is located in the territory controlled by them.

Some surprise may be caused by the fact that France actually transferred the Central African Republic to the care of Moscow. However, the situation is somewhat more complicated than it might seem at first glance. The fact is that the West needs some kind of counterbalance on the "black continent" against the actively growing expansion of China. Africa experts familiar with the question say that Beijing has entered the continent since the sixties, wanting to gain access to its resources:



The West is doing everything skillfully, with the wrong hands, letting forward the Russian oligarchs and attracted Wagnerians. It is now impossible to establish who specifically killed the three journalists from Russia in a country crowded with armed gangs and assorted mercenaries, but it is obvious that they have become a bargaining chip in the game of large capitalist players.